Cancer & Nutrition

Therapist Dana Nolan and Dietitian Tejal Parekh will be offering presentations at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on Saturday, April 13, 2013. The Blood Cancer Symposium is being held at the Citrus Club in Orlando, Florida.

This is part of an educational program series provided by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, that provides mutual support and education for family members. If you or a loved one have a diagnosis of Leukemia, Hodgkins Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Myeloma or Myelodysplastic Syndrome, this symposium will provide you with information about making Healthy Food Choices in the Fight Against Cancer, Cancer Treatment, and Survivorship (getting back to normal after cancer treatment). This is a great opportunity to discuss anxiety and concern with others who share the same experiences.

Dana Nolan is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Tejal Parekh is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. Both professionals are members of Healthy Living Counseling which provides counseling services for cancer and other serious illnesses.

Pre-registration for this FREE Cancer Symposium provided by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is required. Please refer to the flyer below for more information.

This is a common question and an important one. Sugar, in its most simplest form, glucose does feed cancer cells just as it does all cells, healthy or not. It is the fuel needed for our body. To stop eating all foods containing sugar would not only be impractical ( as most foods are broken down in the body to glucose) but would also limit this fuel needed to power our healthy cells, including our brain.

When we eat food high in simple sugars, our body releases insulin, a growth hormone that takes care of the excess glucose in our body. It is believed that excess insulin may promote the growth of cancer cells and therefore our goal is to stabilize our glucose levels that will in turn, stabilize our insulin levels. How do we do this?

Essentially, we want to follow a diabetic diet. Eat small, frequent meals and snacks every 3 hours or so and avoid excess simple, processed sugars such as sodas, candy, cookies and cakes. We also want to eat more complex carbohydrates, i.e. whole grains. A meal containing protein, fat and/or fiber will help to slow down sugar absorption resulting in a slow rise in blood glucose levels and therefore a slow rise in insulin levels.

For more information or to clarify anything in this article, don’t hesitate to contact your Healthy Living Dietitian, Tejal Parekh, MS, RD/LDN. Tejal provides services related to healthy eating for Cancer Patients, as well as, for people with heart disease, and other serious illnesses.

Dana is very friendly and the most understanding counselor I have met. She doesn’t scold you harshly about your flaws, is easy to talk to, and really LISTENS! I have been to some in the past, who didn’t really listen to me or understand how I feel. Since I have been seeing Dana, that has all changed. She doesn’t always have answers, but encourages me to think more critically about how I am feeling and helps me to understand myself Continue Reading

I attended a free cancer talk in Winter Park many years ago with a friend who had cancer. Dana was the speaker at the event. Last year, I found out I had cancer. I was scared to death and had so many questions. I remembered she was very compassionate at the cancer talk when I went with my friend and looked her up. I made an appointment with her right away. She has been so helpful and knows so much Continue Reading

Dana helped me work through my anxiety. She taught me ways to relax and change my self-talk. I wouldn’t have gotten through my cancer treatment without her help and guidance because my anxiety was paralyzing. Thank you, Dana!” C.B., Daytona Beach

Dana has helped me get my PTSD under control. She offers EMDR, and because of the progress I have made with her so far, I will be trying that once I am more ready. Dana is very patient and compassionate towards me and my concerns and fears. She has taught me grounding techniques which are helping with my PTSD and anxiety. Kelly M, Altamonte Springs.

“I have never been to a counselor before, but things in my life had become so horrible, I decided to give it a try. I was a little nervous about going, but finally got the nerve to call and do the short phone consult that Dana at Healthy Living Counseling offers. It was the best thing I ever did. Dana was super nice and understanding of my concerns. So, I scheduled an appointment and have been seeing her ever since. Continue Reading

I was tired of feeling like I have been stepped on by others all the time and just do what others want. While reading online, I found an article about assertiveness training. I read more about it and thought this might be for me. I looked up counselors in my area, and found Dana to be closest to my work. So, I gave it a try. Dana is excellent at what she does, and helped me learn to say No Continue Reading

I just got out of a really bad abusive relationship. Dana has helped me understand and cope with the emotional and physical abuse I had happen. I couldn’t have picked a better counselor. She has been very understanding and helpful in letting me know the many resources and options which are available to me, that I didn’t know existed. My Ex is still stalking and harassing me. Dana has made me feel better about myself and helped restore my energy Continue Reading

” We thought that we were headed for divorce, but wanted to try couples therapy first. With Dana’s help, we were able to start to connect again and very slowly put the pieces of our marriage back together. She gave us tools to communicate better and challenged us to open up to each other again.” A.S. and G.S., Longwood.

My boyfriend and I fight all the time, we can never agree on simple things. As a last resort before breaking up, we decided to do couples counseling. It was the best choice we could have made. We have learned to understand each other better and to communicate with one another in a better ways. Dana has been our guide. She saved our relationship.” Linda & John, Longwood.

EMDR is a very unique experience! Dana really helped me decrease my anxiety levels with this therapeutic tool. Dana is attentive, supportive, knowledgeable and highly skilled. She is friendly, sincere and very caring. I am grateful for her guidance. Highly recommended! VC, Windermere

Most people don’t think they need counseling. I was one of those people. It wasn’t until I had a very traumatic event that I was having trouble coping with that led me to Dana. A good friend had recommended her to me. Dana has helped me so much, that I can’t begin to even explain. She is definitely someone I would recommend! She is very compassionate and understanding about my experiences. She has helped me find myself again.” Rebecca, Altamonte Continue Reading

“Dana always has a professional, compassionate, and open mindset for all situations. She is a comfortable and safe person to speak with, and approaches each session with encouragement. In particular, her training and specialty in EMDR was a very helpful process. She truly takes the time to hear your heart, and knows the right ways to help you cope. Her expertise allows her to assess a good pace for your healing, and finding the most resourceful ways of tackling your Continue Reading